Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1974

“Chairman…”

“That’s enough. Stop there.”

Hwang Jung-hoo shook his head as if he didn’t want to hear any more.

“I’m not going to tell you not to do anything dangerous. I know. There are times when a man has to take risks.”

“But you have to take responsibility.”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at Kang Jin-ho with the utmost seriousness.

“Protecting the end and going down in flames isn’t responsibility. It’s about carrying the burden and enduring to the end. Abandoning everything and washing your hands of it isn’t responsibility, it’s escape.”

“So, don’t talk nonsense and finish everything before you go.”

“…You’re adding to the burden at a time like this.”

“A man’s legs move lighter when his shoulders are heavy.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

That was Hwang Jung-hoo’s way of cheering him on. Now, Kang Jin-ho understood that fact.

“So, straighten your shoulders.”

“Yes.”

“Come back with your head held high.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Understood.”

“Then go.”

“……Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t even been in this room for thirty minutes. And yet, he was being told to leave.

“What, do you have something else to say?”

“…No.”

“Anyway, your account is being managed separately by that… what was his name? That…”

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Right. That weasel-looking guy. He’ll take care of everything, so just stamp the documents.”

“Does he even have my seal? This is like having my liver taken out.”

“Tsk, tsk. I get it, just go. There’s no point in keeping a busy man for too long.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly got up from his seat and bowed to Hwang Jung-hoo.

“Then.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

Just as Kang Jin-ho reached the door and grabbed the handle, Hwang Jung-hoo quietly spoke.

“Hey, Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho turned to look at him, and Hwang Jung-hoo opened his mouth.

“Good luck.”

A small smile formed on Kang Jin-ho’s lips.

“Thank you.”

*Click.*

The door closed, and Hwang Jung-hoo let out a deep sigh.

“He’s an unpredictable man.”

He thought that after seeing each other for so long, they understood each other fairly well. But it seemed that people weren’t so easy to understand. Even now, Hwang Jung-hoo found it difficult to know all of Kang Jin-ho’s inner thoughts.

“He’ll do well, no matter what.”

“I hope so, but…”

Hwang Jung-hoo looked at the door Kang Jin-ho had exited.

The world outside that door was no longer the same as it used to be. In the world that was about to unfold, even Hwang Jung-hoo’s experience and years of wisdom were meaningless. All that remained was how those with their own will would lead the world.

‘That’s why he’s the one who has to play a crucial role…’

The burden on his shoulders was too heavy.

“By the way, Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“Is it true that you’re going to hand over finance to President Hwang Min-soo?”

“Me? Are you crazy?”

Hwang Jung-hoo scoffed.

“Even if I’m old, I’m still Hwang Jung-hoo. Why would I hand over a thriving company to that guy? Whether he’s my son or not, if he doesn’t have the ability, he can’t handle finance!”

“What if I hand over the company to an incompetent guy and it goes bankrupt? How am I supposed to deal with the resentment of the people I’ll meet in the afterlife! I can’t stand to see that.”

At that moment, Jo Gyu-min became speechless.

Of course, even he thought that Hwang Min-soo was not qualified to be the chairman of finance. It wasn’t that Hwang Min-soo lacked ability. It was just that leading finance was not an easy task.

But…

“Then why did you say that earlier?”

“If I hadn’t, would that guy have taken the company?”

“I had to quickly deal with it and hand it over while he was distracted. If he had been in his right mind, he would never have accepted it. I need to hand over the company and go in peace before I die.”

Ah…

So, you lied by selling even your own son, Chairman.

“Tell Min-soo that if he accepts it after I said I’d give it to him, I’ll disown him. No, I’ll tell him myself.”

“If you’re not here… there won’t be anyone to disown him?”

“Then tell him to write a statement beforehand.”

“But that has no legal effect…”

“Legalities between parents and children are for the birds!”

Chairman.

You’re the one who kicked that son out of the house.

Even though people are naturally hypocritical, that’s a bit much…

“If that guy has any sense, he won’t covet finance. He knows his place now.”

Jo Gyu-min nodded.

It wasn’t that he had any ill feelings towards Hwang Min-soo, but honestly, he was against Hwang Min-soo taking over finance. He had already seen the worst of Hwang Min-soo.

No matter how much he had changed, he couldn’t forget the shouting matches between the brothers in front of Hwang Jung-hoo, who was lying in bed.

‘They’re holding back now because the Chairman is here.’

There was no guarantee that they wouldn’t revert to their old ways after Hwang Jung-hoo died.

“So, you have to do a good job.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

The reason why Hwang Jung-hoo had been so aggressively pushing Jo Gyu-min and giving him power within the group was probably for this reason. He must have seen this far ahead when he decided to make Kang Jin-ho his successor.

“But, Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you really okay?”

“……What do you mean?”

Jo Gyu-min cleared his throat and spoke.

“It’s not that I doubt you, Chairman… but I’ve seen so much of this in this industry. People say they’ll donate their assets to society when they retire, but then they change their minds, or they say they’ll give management rights to professional managers, but end up handing them over to their children.”

“You think I’d do that?”

“No, Chairman. That’s not what I meant…”

Jo Gyu-min swallowed hard and said,

“You never know what might happen in this world. Instead of hastily transferring your shares, maybe you should wait a little longer and see if it’s really certain…”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled and took out a cigarette.

*Click.*

Hwang Jung-hoo lit the cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and looked at Jo Gyu-min.

“Do you know…”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Why I’m trying to hand over the company to Jin-ho, that man?”

“…Because Kang Jin-ho is so capable.”

“Wrong.”

“……Then?”

Hwang Jung-hoo smiled strangely.

“Ability? He has ability, but the abilities that Kang Jin-ho has are not very helpful in running a company.”

“That seems to be true.”

No one denied that Kang Jin-ho was amazing. But whether Kang Jin-ho’s abilities could be fully utilized in the harsh world of business was a separate issue.

Jo Gyu-min had also often questioned that issue.

“The person who manages finance only needs to meet one condition.”

“May I ask what that is?”

“To have no greed.”

“More precisely, to have no greed themselves, but not deny the greed of others.”

Jo Gyu-min stared at Hwang Jung-hoo with a blank expression.

Just that condition?

But soon, Jo Gyu-min understood how difficult that condition was.

There are many people without greed.

There are also many people who acknowledge the greed of others.

But there are almost no people who have no greed themselves and yet acknowledge the desires of others as they are.

This is because those without greed tend to see the greed of others as futile.

“How is it? Doesn’t it fit perfectly?”

“It does, but…”

“Those who have no greed for themselves don’t get angry when their things are taken away. If I lack the ability to manage, I’ll try to entrust it to someone who is good at managing, and if I lack the ability to promote, I’ll look for a promotion expert.”

“But those who are greedy can’t let go of anything. Those who have built their abilities based on greed don’t think they lack ability, and even if they do, they think they can learn and study to fill the gap.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Then they only realize after a bitter failure that there are things that can’t be done with willpower alone. But then it’s too late. This isn’t a company that runs on the passion of one or two people. It’s about the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people working in Jae-kyung and its affiliates.”

Mistakes are not allowed.

Jo Gyu-min nodded as if he understood Hwang Jung-hoo’s thoughts.

“Kang Jin-ho has no greed for himself, but he understands that other people want to make more money and live happily.”

“If he wasn’t that kind of guy, would he have built an orphanage with his own money, or created a company to feed people he could have just left alone? And he wouldn’t even care how much money is accumulating in his own account, right?”

“That’s accurate.”

“What I want is not a talent who will innovate and lead the company. Such a guy doesn’t need to be the chairman. President, director, manager… anything is fine. The actual work is done by those below. But the chairman must not only be a leader but also someone who understands.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Only then did Hwang Jung-hoo smile faintly.

“If I change my mind later, it means I’ve gone senile. It’s obviously wrong. So, I need to get things done in advance, right?”

“What if Kang Jin-ho changes?”

Hwang Jung-hoo silently looked at Jo Gyu-min with cloudy eyes.

Then, Jo Gyu-min brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat softly.

“I was just saying.”

“Nonsense.”

Hwang Jung-hoo knew, and Jo Gyu-min knew, that Kang Jin-ho was not someone who would change so easily.

“Then what do you plan to do with the money from selling the shares?”

“What else? They won’t take it back if I give it back, so I’ll just donate it.”

“Donate it? Don’t tell me…”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled.

“It was a mistake to create a foundation. He can refuse the money, but the welfare foundation can’t refuse donations. If I add my assets to it, it might become the largest welfare foundation in Korea.”

“…Oh my god.”

When did he start thinking about this?

“So, back then, you helped with creating the foundation, but in the end, you said you wouldn’t be the chairman?”

“If I donate the money from selling my shares to a foundation where I’m the chairman, people won’t see it in a good light. There have been several cases where foundations have been used as tax evasion schemes for inheritance.”

“But if it’s someone else’s foundation, there won’t be any problems.”

“…I can’t beat you, Chairman.”

“I’m not so weak that I’ll be pushed around by young guys. I plan to hold onto the chairman position for a while even after handing over the shares. At least until the new business is fully established.”

“Yes.”

“Contact Min-soo. We need to set up a meeting. You’ll be busy, so be prepared. You’ll have to play a crucial role in this.”

“Of course!”

Jo Gyu-min, who was watching Hwang Jung-hoo take a deep drag of his cigarette, turned his gaze to the door Kang Jin-ho had exited.

‘Good luck, Kang Jin-ho.’

People…

Too many people believe in you.